Sunday, August 30, 2009
What a Thriving Freelance Writing Career Really Looks Like
1) Writing for places that people have actually heard of, preferably national outlets.
2) Making $1 to $3 a word, or between $2,000-$10,000 a story, or between $50,000-$100,000 a year.
3) Developing a name and reputation in the business - known as someone who's a pro and who consistently delivers dazzling work.
4) Getting called regularly by top editors, asking you to do a story, rather than the other way around.
5) Securing a "contributing contract" with a publication or publications, meaning you're guaranteed money whether you write or not. This type of contract is most often a "piece deal," meaning you're scheduled to write a certain amount of pieces over a given year for a certain amount of money - and almost always at a much higher per-word rate than other freelancers.
This is what the career of freelance writer looks at the highest level. But don't let it scare or intimidate you. Simply aspire to get there.
2) Making $1 to $3 a word, or between $2,000-$10,000 a story, or between $50,000-$100,000 a year.
3) Developing a name and reputation in the business - known as someone who's a pro and who consistently delivers dazzling work.
4) Getting called regularly by top editors, asking you to do a story, rather than the other way around.
5) Securing a "contributing contract" with a publication or publications, meaning you're guaranteed money whether you write or not. This type of contract is most often a "piece deal," meaning you're scheduled to write a certain amount of pieces over a given year for a certain amount of money - and almost always at a much higher per-word rate than other freelancers.
This is what the career of freelance writer looks at the highest level. But don't let it scare or intimidate you. Simply aspire to get there.
Are You a Desperate Writer or Author?
Are You a Desperate Writer or Author?
By Patricia Fry
When you approach an editor with a great article idea, is your anxiety level off the charts? When you send your manuscript to a publisher, are you filled with fear and apprehension? Will you grovel in hopes of hearing the “Yes” response? In other words, do you come across as sounding desperate when you present your work for publication?
What about those of you with books to promote? How do you approach reviewers, booksellers and consumers? Does the desperation you feel come out in your spiel?
Promoting a book amidst the hundreds of thousands of others is tough. Getting an article or a book manuscript accepted is really difficult in today’s competitive publishing climate. But you’re not going to make it any easier—in fact, it becomes much less likely that your project will be picked—if you come across as desperate.
If you were a publisher, which author would you rather work with? It would be hard to warm up to one who says, “Please, please publish my book. I’ve worked so hard. It really is good—my friends say so and my mother loves it. I really, really must get this published. If you don’t give me a contract, my life might as well be over.” Yikes! Or would you feel more comfortable and confident in the author who says, “Per your request, I’ve enclosed the book proposal for my book, ‘The Chimney Man.” Please review it and let me know if you need anything additional.”
If you think this is a far-fetched example, you’re wrong. Some hopeful authors are so anxious to get that publishing contract that they will cajole, plead and even threaten in anticipation of landing one.
I’ve watched published authors practically beg people to buy their books and then become almost despondent when they didn’t. At a book festival or book singing, for example, this attitude can kill any potential for sales. Approach a potential customer with a down-trodden attitude and they won’t feel much like buying any book from you.
What does a disappointed writer/author do? Pretend, if you have to. So, book sales are slow, don’t make it the potential customer’s problem. Approach each new customer with the same sense of excitement and pride you felt in your book the first time you saw it—the first time you sold a copy. Forget about your sales figures. If you maintain a positive, confident stance with your customers, booksellers and reviewers, your bottom line will take care of itself.
The same holds true for hopeful authors. Approach publishers with an air of professionalism. Ooze with confidence about your project. But you can do this only if you are confident that you have a viable product. The only way you can be sure is to write a business plan (book proposal) for your book before you make the rounds with it. Make sure you are writing the right book for the right audience and then make a solid case for it BEFORE you start showing it around (and before you self-publish it).
If you are a freelance writer who is trying to land assignments or just sell an article or story, likewise, approach editors with confidence in your idea, your writing abilities, the timeliness of your idea, etc. Take “no” for an answer, if this is the answer you get, and move on. Rejection does not mean you don’t have a good idea or a well-written piece. It could mean one or more of many things.
For example,
• The magazine has covered this subject recently.
• They have a piece like this in the works.
• Your story idea conflicts with an advertiser’s message.
• There were other articles on this subject submitted—yours didn’t make the cut.
• The topic is outside their realm of interest.
• The slant is not right for this magazine.
• Your piece is too biased.
• The editor doesn’t like your stationery.
Fellow freelance writers, rejection happens—and it happens a LOT. Do what those of us who eventually succeed do: get up, dust yourself off, reevaluate your piece, thoroughly research other potential homes for this piece and, if needed, refine your approach. Always come across as confident and professional.
Patricia Fry is a full-time freelance writer and the author of 29 books. Her articles have appeared in Writer’s Digest, Entrepreneur Magazine, Cat Fancy, Your Health, The Toastmaster and many others. View her collection of books at http://www.matilijapress.com. Click here And visit her informative publishing blog often: http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog.
Click here
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Who Are Your Favorite Writing-Related Tweeters?
They could be writers, editors, literary agents, etc. Please leave your choice or choices as comments. Thanks so much! Mike
Nominate Your Favorite Writing Blog
Place your vote at:
http://editorunleashed.com/2009/08/11/nominate-your-favorite-writing-blogs/#comments
Click here
http://editorunleashed.com/2009/08/11/nominate-your-favorite-writing-blogs/#comments
Click here
Twitter Hashtags Writers Should Know
1) #journchat
Journalist-to-Journalist, Journalist-to-P.R. People Chat
http://twitter.com/journchat
Click here
Host: Sarah Evans
http://twitter.com/PRsarahevans
Click here
2) #editorchat
Writer-to-Editor Chat
http://editorchat.wordpress.com/
Click hereCo-Host: Tim Beyers
http://twitter.com/milehighfool
Click here
Co-Host: Lydia Dishman
http://twitter.com/LydiaBreakfast
Click here
3) #journ2journ
Journalist-to-Journalist Chat
http://twitter.com/journ2journ
Click hereActing Host: Chuck Welch
http://twitter.com/chuckwelch
Click here
4) #writechat
Sunday Afternoon Writing Salon, 12-3PM (PST)
Host: Julie Isaac
http://twitter.com/WritingSpirit
Click here
A Word about Words
A Word about Words
Don’t let these commonly misused/misspelled words and phrases trip you up
By Mark Terence Chapman
Here are some more words and phrases that are commonly misused or misspelled. A conscientious writer should use these correctly. More importantly, using these words/phrases correctly will reduce the odds of your writing being rejected by an editor due to excessive errors. (Editors don’t want to waste time on pieces that require an inordinate amount of their time to clean up.) Even if you write only business reports and emails, you still wouldn’t want people chuckling over your misuse of the English language, would you?
Error vs. Err
Wrong: Let’s make sure we error on the side of caution.
Right: Let’s make sure we err on the side of caution.
I’ve heard this one too many times. To err (verb) is to make a mistake (or stray morally, as in “to err is human…”), while an error (noun) is the mistake. One is the act, the other the result.
Bisect vs. Dissect
Right: The interstate bisects the railroad tracks at mile marker 93.
Right: She refused to dissect the frog in today’s lab.
To bisect is to cut into two approximately equal parts, or to intersect or cross (as in the case of two roads), or even to fork. (“The old church is right past where highway 47 bisects.”) To dissect is to cut apart or examine in minute detail (such as dissecting an animal or an idea).
Egress vs. Ingress
Wrong: Egress is through that entrance.
Right: Ingress is through that entrance.
Egress is an exit, or the act of exiting. Ingress refers to going in or entering through a point of ingress (an entryway).
Congradulations vs. Congratulations
Wrong: Congradulations on your promotion!
Right: Congratulations on your promotion!
Congradulations is simply a misspelling of congratulations, an expression of pleasure or joy in the good fortune of another.
Simplistic vs. Simple
Wrong: There’s a simplistic solution to that problem.
Right: There’s a simple solution to that problem.
Simple means easy, while simplistic refers to something made overly simple (oversimplified), as in “You have a simplistic view of the world.” Simple is usually good; simplistic is not.
Flush out vs. Flesh out
Wrong: Write up an outline. We can flush it out later.
Right: Write up an outline. We can flesh it out later.
To flesh out an idea is to add meat to the bones, to give it substance or character. To flush out is to clean with a flow of liquid, as in flushing a toilet or fuel line. That’s probably not quite what the speaker has in mind when referring to flushing out an idea. (It can also mean to force a person or animal from hiding.)
Prospective vs. Perspective
Wrong: Have you met Mary’s perspective husband yet?
Right: Have you met Mary’s prospective husband yet?
Perspective, a noun, refers to a viewpoint or a way of looking at an idea (putting it in perspective), or a technique for displaying spatial relationships in two dimensions (artistic perspective), among other meanings. Prospective, an adjective, means future, likely, or expected. So, the perspective may be off in a blueprint of a prospective skyscraper.
Proscribe/Proscription vs. Prescribe/Prescription
Wrong: My doctor proscribed a sleep aid.
Right: My doctor prescribed a sleep aid.
Doctors prescribe, or order the use of, prescription medicines. To proscribe something is to prohibit, condemn, or outlaw—the exact opposite of prescribing.
Cache vs. Cash vs. Cachet
Wrong: Let’s cash some supplies in the basement in case of emergency.
Right: Let’s cache some supplies in the basement in case of emergency.
A cache (pronounced CASH) is a hiding place for food, ammunition, treasure, and so on; it can also mean the things hidden in the cache, as in “a cache of food.” Cash, of course, is money, including both coins and the folding variety. It can also refer to cash equivalents, such as checks and money orders. Cachet (pronounced ka-SHEY) has several meanings, including an official mark, seal, or stamp (as in a mark of excellence), as well as prestige. (“The title holds a certain cachet.”)
Acute vs. Chronic
Right: She’s suffering from an acute illness.
Right: She’s suffering from a chronic illness.
Acute means sharp, severe, or serious, such as an acute water shortage. Something that’s chronic continues for a long time or recurs frequently. An acute illness is brief and severe, while a chronic one is of long duration. Medically speaking, the two words have opposite meanings, so be sure to use them correctly.
If you’ve ever been confused about any of these words or phrases, tack this column to the wall by your desk. It’ll help you avoid similar errors in the future.
Newsletter contributing columnist Mark Terence Chapman writes in various genres: He’s a poet, short story writer, novelist, humorist, and even a nonfiction writer tackling computer topics and nanotechnology. To find out more about Mr. Chapman, please visit his Web site at: http://tesserene.com Click here or his blog at: http://tesserene.blogspot.com.
Click here
NYC Poetry Event: Super Heroes & Rockstars!
Super Heroes and Rockstars is an event designed to connect Spokenword with music lovers, the event is held in a rock venue, as opposed to a cafe, At this event the poet becomes the Rockstar.
Super Heroes & Rockstars
Start Time:Sunday, September 6, 2009 at 9:00pm
End Time:Monday, September 7, 2009 at 4:00am
Location:Southpaw
Street:125 5th Ave
City/Town:Brooklyn, NY
Featuring
Ainsley Burrows
JP Justice
Americans UK
Sabrina Gilbert
Lacresha Berry
Shareef Ali
Rain Maker
Gia Linelle
Sean B
Rico Steal
Wordsmith Jones
Fashion by
Color Heritage
Plus a dance battle ... SIQQED VS NEVA SWITCH
The after party has two floors of music...get your ticket today at:
http://www.burrowsink.com
Click here
Friday, August 28, 2009
One of My All-Time Favorite Videos on Writing: Harlan Ellison's Pay the Writer
Warning: Adult Language
Writing Prompts of the Day
Write about...
Your favorite song and the singer—or group—that sang it.
Your best friend and worst enemy.
Your boss.
A passed-on loved one.
Your all-time favorite party.
Your favorite song and the singer—or group—that sang it.
Your best friend and worst enemy.
Your boss.
A passed-on loved one.
Your all-time favorite party.
Get Your News on the Media Business
http://gawker.com
Click here
http://www.mediabistro.com
Click here
http://www.woodenhorsepub.com/default.htm
Click here
http://www.poynter.org
Click here
http://www.mrmagazine.com
Click here
http://www.iwantmedia.com
Click here
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/index.jsp
Click here
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Five Great Things You Can Do Today for Your Writing Life
1) Read a great story in your favorite newspaper or magazine and try to figure out what makes it great.
2) Follow award-winning author and New Yorker staff writer Susan Orlean on Twitter (@Susanorlean).
3) Write a three-paragraph pitch about something you're passionate about.
4) Friend a powerful editor on Facebook.
5) Start a blog if you don't already have one.
Good luck!
2) Follow award-winning author and New Yorker staff writer Susan Orlean on Twitter (@Susanorlean).
3) Write a three-paragraph pitch about something you're passionate about.
4) Friend a powerful editor on Facebook.
5) Start a blog if you don't already have one.
Good luck!
Remembering Sen. Ted Kennedy
"..the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Places to Get a Writing Job
Writing Job Sites
http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings
Click here
http://www.journalismjobs.com
Click here
http://www.freelancewritingjobs.com
Click here
http://www.pw.org/joblistings
Click here
http://careers.poynter.org/search/results
Click here
http://www.ed2010.com/jobs/whisperjobs
Click here
http://publishersmarketplace.com/jobs
Click here
http://jobs.publishersweekly.com
Click here
http://www.writingcareer.com/writingjobs/index.php
Click here
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PayingWriterJobs
Click here
http://www.sunoasis.com
Click here
http://www.iwantmedia.com/jobs
Click here
http://www.writerfind.com/freelance_jobs
Click here
http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com
Click here
http://www.tjobs.com/new/writers.shtml
Click here
http://www.online-writing-jobs.com
Click here
http://www.thefreelancewriterslounge.blogspot.com
>Click here
http://jobs.mediageneral.com
Click here
http://www.writejobs.com
Click here
http://www.aasfe.org/jobs/index.php
Click here
http://journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/listings.php?view=job
Click here
http://aboutfreelancewriting.com
Click here
http://www.creativehotlist.com/index.asp
Click here
http://www.gofreelance.com/?AID=10414556&PID=2398750
Click here
http://jobs.problogger.net
Click here
http://jobs.freelanceswitch.com/categories/3
Click here
http://www.blogher.com/forums/blogher-news-forums/job-listings-and-gigs-0
Click here
http://www.poewar.com/jobs-by-category/jobs/
Click here
http://www.indeed.com
Click here
http://www.writersweekly.com
Click here
http://www.bloggerjobs.biz
Click here
http://www.mediajobmarket.com/jobs/index.jsp
Click here
http://allfreelancewritingjobs.com
Click here
http://www.jeffqaulin.com
Click here
http://authorlink.monster.com
Click here
http://www.writingjobroll.com
Click here
http://www.newsjobs.net
Click here
http://www.simplyhired.com/a/jobs/list/o-27304
Click here
http://www.freelancedaily.net
Click here
http://www.wahm.com/jobs.html
Click here
http://www.journalismnet.com/jobs
Click here
http://www.elance.com/p/landing/buyerwriting.html
Click here
http://www.guru.com/index.aspx
Click here
http://www.allfreelancework.com
Click here
http://www.geteditingjobs.com
Click here
http://www.online-writing-jobs.com/
Click here
(Disclaimer: I only recommend these sites as interesting ones to check out. If you decide to purchase any products or services, or become a paid member of a site or apply for a posted job, you do so at your own risk. Please use your discretion and common sense.)
Following the Rules of Creating Fiction: But How Far?
Following the Rules of Creating Fiction: But How Far?
By Hugh Rosen
The question arises periodically as to whether there are any rules to follow in writing creative fiction. Indeed, there are! Yet that leaves us with the quandary over to what extent they should be followed. Are they absolutely rigid, leaving no latitude for departing from them; or can the author simply deviate from them at her whim? This article is an attempt to grapple with that issue.
It is helpful to keep in mind that previous fiction writers who have endured the test of time had no set of rules to follow. One has only to think of such great novelists as Cervantes, Dickens, Henry James, Flaubert, Dostoevsky, Jane Austen, and Virginia Woolf, to name but a few. In fact, writing styles have evolved up to contemporary times, yet many of the rules are derived from reading great novels of the past. Today, rules are manifest on commentaries in domains such as punctuation, grammar, conflict, tension, dialogue, plot, characters, setting, description, and so forth.
A good piece of advice that is often advanced is that the author is free to break the rules, but she must first know them and have a compelling rationale for breaking them. Sometimes the rationale is based on reason, intuition, or merely the feeling that "It seems to work better this way." Rules, after all, are not prison bars intended to constrain the novelist or short story writer within a confined space. Nevertheless, it is worth noting parenthetically, that we find multiple bursts of creativity and genius within the rigid form of Shakespeare's sonnets.
In general, the codification of rules by committees and even those to be found in the by-laws of institutions are often written with a degree of ambiguity and absence of specificity in order to allow for the possibility of interpretation to meet the demands of situation and context. Granted that this is not always the case, nor would it be desirable at all times, but it does occur in order to impart flexibility of application where and when it might be called for. Rules should be regarded as guidelines rather than obstructions. The very notion that rules are considered as constraints or obstructions is antithetical to creativity and innovation.
Ray Bradbury has suggested that, "Life is trying things to see if they work." He may as well have said the same thing about creative writing and I wouldn't be surprised if he had that in mind. Andre Gide has said, "One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." If we think of the shore as the boundaries set by rules, then we find encouragement in these words to break the rules when the occasion calls for it.
One rule that is frequently invoked by writers about writing is to minimize the use of flashbacks. Imparting flashbacks to one's writing may disrupt the flow of the story's development, particularly if they are frequent and long. Yet what if multiple flashbacks are artfully interwoven within the plot's forward movement so that they actually advance the plot or illuminate the depth to some of the major characters, or both? I would submit that if the author so adjudicates, then it is permissible to break that rule. The flashbacks then become an integral and organic part of the story, rather than a distraction. Admittedly, pulling this off requires skill and talent, but without the confidence to venture in this direction, the author will limit her creative development over time. As Jimmy Johnson asks, "Do you want to be safe and good or do you want to take a chance and be great?"
Probably the most repeated rules of all is, "Show, don't tell." Yet there are long passages of the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez in which he "tells" rather than "shows." Despite his breaking of this rule, his stories have delighted readers around the world and are amongst the finest that literature has to offer. Even his masterful use of "magical realism," which defies all logic and reason, is so artfully incorporated into some of his work that the reader is completely willing to go along with it rather than to challenge or reject it. There is an applicable saying to be invoked here, "Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is." (This quote is attributed to H. Jackson Brown.)
The premise I am promoting here is not that one should irreverently disregard the well-established rules of creative fiction, but that when the author's judgment, coming from whatever source, urges breaking the rules, it is worth taking the risk, so that one's work may have the opportunity of achieving greatness and not be merely good by playing it safe. If the author fails in the attempt, then she should look for what may be learned by the failure so as to grow in the future. In the words of Mark Twain, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do....Explore. Dream. Discover." What if Kafka hadn't risked having Gregor Samsa wake up one morning as a huge bug, as he did in the short story, "The Metamorphosis?"
Professor Emeritus Hugh Rosen, D.S.W., born and raised in Philadelphia, Pa., is the sole author of three academic books and has co-edited three others on cognitive development, moral reasoning, and psychotherapy, and has published a novel, Silent Battlefields.
Please feel free to visit his Web site at:
http://www.hughrosen.com
Click here
By Hugh Rosen
The question arises periodically as to whether there are any rules to follow in writing creative fiction. Indeed, there are! Yet that leaves us with the quandary over to what extent they should be followed. Are they absolutely rigid, leaving no latitude for departing from them; or can the author simply deviate from them at her whim? This article is an attempt to grapple with that issue.
It is helpful to keep in mind that previous fiction writers who have endured the test of time had no set of rules to follow. One has only to think of such great novelists as Cervantes, Dickens, Henry James, Flaubert, Dostoevsky, Jane Austen, and Virginia Woolf, to name but a few. In fact, writing styles have evolved up to contemporary times, yet many of the rules are derived from reading great novels of the past. Today, rules are manifest on commentaries in domains such as punctuation, grammar, conflict, tension, dialogue, plot, characters, setting, description, and so forth.
A good piece of advice that is often advanced is that the author is free to break the rules, but she must first know them and have a compelling rationale for breaking them. Sometimes the rationale is based on reason, intuition, or merely the feeling that "It seems to work better this way." Rules, after all, are not prison bars intended to constrain the novelist or short story writer within a confined space. Nevertheless, it is worth noting parenthetically, that we find multiple bursts of creativity and genius within the rigid form of Shakespeare's sonnets.
In general, the codification of rules by committees and even those to be found in the by-laws of institutions are often written with a degree of ambiguity and absence of specificity in order to allow for the possibility of interpretation to meet the demands of situation and context. Granted that this is not always the case, nor would it be desirable at all times, but it does occur in order to impart flexibility of application where and when it might be called for. Rules should be regarded as guidelines rather than obstructions. The very notion that rules are considered as constraints or obstructions is antithetical to creativity and innovation.
Ray Bradbury has suggested that, "Life is trying things to see if they work." He may as well have said the same thing about creative writing and I wouldn't be surprised if he had that in mind. Andre Gide has said, "One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." If we think of the shore as the boundaries set by rules, then we find encouragement in these words to break the rules when the occasion calls for it.
One rule that is frequently invoked by writers about writing is to minimize the use of flashbacks. Imparting flashbacks to one's writing may disrupt the flow of the story's development, particularly if they are frequent and long. Yet what if multiple flashbacks are artfully interwoven within the plot's forward movement so that they actually advance the plot or illuminate the depth to some of the major characters, or both? I would submit that if the author so adjudicates, then it is permissible to break that rule. The flashbacks then become an integral and organic part of the story, rather than a distraction. Admittedly, pulling this off requires skill and talent, but without the confidence to venture in this direction, the author will limit her creative development over time. As Jimmy Johnson asks, "Do you want to be safe and good or do you want to take a chance and be great?"
Probably the most repeated rules of all is, "Show, don't tell." Yet there are long passages of the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez in which he "tells" rather than "shows." Despite his breaking of this rule, his stories have delighted readers around the world and are amongst the finest that literature has to offer. Even his masterful use of "magical realism," which defies all logic and reason, is so artfully incorporated into some of his work that the reader is completely willing to go along with it rather than to challenge or reject it. There is an applicable saying to be invoked here, "Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is." (This quote is attributed to H. Jackson Brown.)
The premise I am promoting here is not that one should irreverently disregard the well-established rules of creative fiction, but that when the author's judgment, coming from whatever source, urges breaking the rules, it is worth taking the risk, so that one's work may have the opportunity of achieving greatness and not be merely good by playing it safe. If the author fails in the attempt, then she should look for what may be learned by the failure so as to grow in the future. In the words of Mark Twain, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do....Explore. Dream. Discover." What if Kafka hadn't risked having Gregor Samsa wake up one morning as a huge bug, as he did in the short story, "The Metamorphosis?"
Professor Emeritus Hugh Rosen, D.S.W., born and raised in Philadelphia, Pa., is the sole author of three academic books and has co-edited three others on cognitive development, moral reasoning, and psychotherapy, and has published a novel, Silent Battlefields.
Please feel free to visit his Web site at:
http://www.hughrosen.com
Click here
Start Making $$ As a Writer
Start Making $$ As a Writer
Fact: Over 200,000,000 Americans want to write a book.
Fact: Most can't. You can. It's that simple.
Learn how to tap into this lucrative market & start making $10,000 - $25,000 - $40,000+ as a Certified Ghostwriter. Distance & SoCal classes begin Sept 9/10.
Info & sign-up at:
http://claudiasuzanne.com/gct/
Click here
Change your life today.
$100 off for Mike's readers!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Writing Quotes of the Day
“The most solid advice . . . for a writer is this, I think: Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep, really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell, and when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.”—William Saroyan
“Write it, even if you think it's terrible. Don't prevent yourself from jotting down a word, phrase, or paragraph just because it "isn't quite right" or "it won't work." Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but it's better to write it down, you can always edit later. And you don't want to stop yourself before you even get started! The point isn't to use everything you write. You can't be expected to pop out perfect prose your first time out! Write now, edit later.”—Cristine Grace
“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.”—Saul Bellow
“In the beginning you may be writing around what you want to say instead of getting to the core. Keep writing. The route may be circuitous but after you zero in on what you truly want to say, you'll see that during all those false starts and detoured storylines, you weren't wasting time, as you feared. You were developing as a writer, developing a discerning eye and ear, finding your own voice, learning to respect self-imposed deadlines.”—Madeleine Costigan
“Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.”—Stella Adler
“How can I write a war novel if I've never been in a war? In fiction, what counts is not expertise at all, but the illusion of expertise. All art is illusion, accomplished with stage effects that seem more real than reality. With enough accurate detail to stay ahead of the reader, the fiction writer can tackle any subject.”—Arthur Plotnik
“There is no perfect time to write. There is only now.”—Barbara Kingsolver
“I write at eighty-five for the same reasons that impelled me to write at forty-five; I was born with a passionate desire to communicate, to organize experience, to tell tales that dramatize the adventures which readers might have had. I have been that ancient man who sat by the campfire at night and regaled the hunters with imaginative recitations about their prowess. The job of an apple tree is to bear apples. The job of a storyteller is to tell stories, and I have concentrated on that obligation.”—James Michner
"Ring the bells that can still ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.”—Leonard Cohen
"I honestly think I would rather be a failure at something I love than to be a success at something I hate.”—George Burns
Writers at Work: Ernest Hemingway
Writers at Work: Ernest Hemingway
Interviewer: Could you say something of (the writing) process? When do you work? Do you keep to a strict schedule?
Hemingway: When I am working on a book or story I write every morning as soon after first light as possible. There is no one to disturb you and it is cool or cold and you come to your work and warm as you write. You read what you have written and, as you always stop when you know what is going to happen next, you go on from there. You write until you come to a place where you still have your juice and you know what will happen next and you stop and try to live through until the next day when you hit it again. You have started at six in the morning, say, and may go on until noon or be through before that. When you stop you are as empty, and at the same time never empty but filling, as when you have made love to someone you love. Nothing can hurt you, nothing can happen, nothing means anything until the next day when you do it again. It is the wait until the next day that is hard to get through.
The Paris Review, Issue 18, 1958
Fall Call for Entries
FALL CALL FOR ENTRIES now open for the New England Book Festival (www.newenglandbookfestival.com), London Book Festival (www.londonbookfestival.com), Nashville Book Festival (www.nashvillebookfestival.com) and DIY Book Festival (www.diyconvention.com).
http://www.newenglandbookfestival.com/
Click here
http://www.diyconvention.com/
Click here
http://londonbookfestival.com/portal/
Click here
http://www.nashvillebookfestival.com/
Click here
Win cash, travel and more.
FanStory.com
Writers Use FanStory.com for:
* Feedback - Learn from feedback that will be written on everything you write. Share your poetry and stories.
* Contests - Participate in free writing contests for cash prizes.
* Rankings - If you are talented enough you can earn a top rank or even the #1 spot in the rankings.
* Fun - Enjoy the friendly and competitive nature of FanStory.com
Find out more - http://www.fanstory.com/index1.jsp?at=81
Click here
Take the tour - http://www.fanstory.com/tourfs.jsp?at=81
Click here
Video Tour - http://www.fanstory.com/tour5.jsp
Click here
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
